Taishan Part 18: Closing Thoughts

I am so glad that I made the trip to Taishan. The timing was so right - time, companionship, information about the travel from web search - all fell into place that made the trip possible. It is a good place to visit for a very short time.

Taishan is a very laid-back. Living standards have improved. Some factories have been built and people from the villages can work in the factories to earn more money. Work in the rice field, while still hard, is also much improved. Machines are used instead of water buffalos and humans. Instead of doing all the work themselves, many people hire migrant workers from Guangxi and Hunan to work the fields.

Our driver told us that of all people living in Taishan, half are the locals and the half are retirees returning from overseas. He also told us that people in Taishan are laid-back. The retirement age in China is currently 50 years old. People who are in the late 40s are already getting ready for retirement by working very short days (like leaving work at 11:30 AM). What do they do with their time? Play mahjong, of course.

Taishan Part 17: Leaving Taicheng for Hong Kong

After a one-day visit of Taicheng and the village, it was time to return to Hong Kong. The return trip should have taken 4.5 hours but turned out to be 6.5 hours – the bus’ transmission died when we were crossing a bridge in Jungshan. We waited 2 hours, luckily the air was still working, until a rescue bus arrived.

I took some pictures on the return trip that captured the booming development in the area around Shenzhen. Everywhere you look is construction. The last picture shows newly-built condos that has a big sign that boast “low prices” to lure people from Hong Kong and other parts of the world to buy real estate in the Shenzhen vicinity. Condos are outrageously costly in Hong Kong; an average condo with an 850 square-feet of living area costs USD $1,200,000.

Taishan Part 16: A Study of Constrast

Leaving the villages and going back to Taicheng, you can appreciate the huge difference between the old rural villages (picture 1) and the modern development. The second picture is the new luxury mansions built 2 years ago in the suburb of Taicheng. Next to it is a 5-star Taishan Phoenix Hotel (last picture). The room rate for Sunday was CNY1200 (USD$179), not bad for a 5-star hotel.

Taishan Part 15: Buildings in Taicheng

Taicheng is more like YuenLong in the rural areas of Hong Kong. Most of the city is very old with some very old streets (picture 1). Picture 2 shows condos built in the 70s, the next picture the 90s, and the last picture is a modern condo.

Taishan Part 14: Beggar’s Chicken Dinner in Taicheng

Sam’s colleague in Maoming knew of our travel and recommended that we try beggar’s chicken while in Taichan – so, we did. We arranged for a driver to drop off and pick us up because the restaurant is located in a rural area of Taicheng. The first picture shows the restaurant sign; the next is the menu.







We ordered the famous beggar’s chicken, ox-bone soup with lotus root, and stir-fried long beans – all for about $8 USD. Everything was delicious. The beggar’s chicken was originally wrapped with dirt and roast in open fire; now it is wrapped in foiled and wood-roasted. Disposable gloves are provided so diners can eat the chicken with their hands.

While the restaurant is an open-air facility and located in a rural area, it really went out of their way to provide a clean atmosphere. They cleaned “sterilized” the cups, bowls, and chopsticks in a pan of boiling water on your table. They provided a packet of tissues and a whole small wrapped packet of disposable gloves for each table.

Taishan Part 13: Our Hotel Room in Taicheng

The Taishan Garden Hotel is a 3-star hotel but it’s very well maintained. We paid 236 CNY (Chinese Renminbi), about $35 USD. It has a western restaurant in the lobby and a whole separate 2-story Chinese restaurant next door. We had most meals in the hotel. One lunch we had BBQ pork, some dim sum, and stir-fried potato leave, a local seasonal vegetable that tastes similar to Ong-choi but better. The BBQ pork, while very tasty, had too much fat. The next meal we had dim sum and squab which was also excellent. Everything is very cheap by U.S. standards; each meal was about $8 USD.

Our room is clean, comfortable and spacious. What’s most amazing is it even has a computer with free Internet access. I was able to get a lot of work and e-mails done in the room.

Taishan Part 12: Our Hotel in Taicheng

We stayed overnight at the Taishan Garden Hotel. It’s a 3-star hotel. While it is showing its age, the hotel is still very well maintained. The hotel is well located; it has its own lotus pond and it’s also next to a city park. The first picture shows the hotel in the background and in front of it is the hugest lotus pond ever seen. On the edge of the lotus pond is a row of Hong Kong Orchid trees. I can envision the beautiful Hong Kong Orchid blossoming when the lotus goes into hibernation in the winter. Because the area is so beautiful and the air so clear, many people do their morning tai chi there.